Town of Richmond

Board of Supervisor’s Special Meeting

October 7, 2023

Minutes

Chairman Karbash called the meeting to order at 9:30am. Present: Karbash, Supervisors Dave Overbeek, Steven Wade, Tom Kraus. Absent: Supervisor Susan Miller.

The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.

Motion to approve the agenda by Overbeek, second by Wade, passed unanimously. Mr. Adam Raschka, Senior Regional Director for State Government Affairs, Charter

Communications distributed maps of Richmond Township indicating the plans for installing fiber optic cable using both directional boring and plowing methodology. The maps also contained the proposed location of utility pedestals planned for installation.

Overbeek suggested to the Board that the maps be reviewed to identify where there may be problematic consequences from the installation plan. Overbeek referenced the Whitewater Lake area as one example of where manicured lawns should not be impacted by plowing but rather the use of directional boring would minimize any impact to the surface structure.

Overbeek opinioned that the Town prefers to minimize the use of use of plowing and that if this technique is used, that it maintains a minimum of 6 feet from the edge of the roadway, recognizing that there will be a few instances where there may be trees that will prevent maintaining the six foot minimum distance.

Roadman Wally McManaway suggests that we color code the maps using two different colors to differentiate boring from plowing.

Karbash asks Charter representative Raschka if they are willing to work with us on this and he replies yes.

Overbeek advises that the Township will monitor the installation process and if restoration of the site doesn’t meet our standards then we will need to shut down the project. Overbeek asks if there will be a pedestal installation in front of every property.

Charter representative Raschka replies that the standard application is to have a pedestal for every 4 properties, however, they have the ability to go up to 12 properties.

Supervisor Wade asks if there is a fee for property owners to have the cable installation extended to their home and rep. Raschka replies that Charter’s standard connection fee is $59.99 for running up to 1500 feet.

Karbash asks what additional fee there is after 1500 feet and Raschka replies he isn’t sure of that additional fee.

Supervisor Kraus inquires if the pedestal locations are in the middle of a lot or are they placed on the corners of the lot where they are less visible. Charter rep. Raschka suggests that Charter attempts to place the pedestals near the corners of the lots where they are less visible.

Overbeek suggests to the Board that we will want a contract that releases the Town from liability for the cost of replacing the pedestal in the event one is damaged from mowing or plowing as the replacement can cost thousands of dollars. Charter rep. Raschka advises he doesn’t believe the Town would be liable for repair or replacement costs but he will confirm this.

At this point Raschka advises that Charter is willing to increase their bond to ensure there are funds in the event of additional restoration costs.

Overbeek suggests to the Board we can consider more bond and/or we can revise our fee structure for our permitting process. He reminds the Board that the $15,000 bond

we received will only cover a couple of roads in the Township, and at the time this figure was proposed to Charter, their permit request identified only two roads in the Town and now they’re plan has expanded to the entire Township.

Charter rep. Raschka explains that the original permit request represented a federal funded portion of the entire project as the reason.

Charter rep. Raschka advises that if restoration is not acceptable, they will come back and fix it. Overbeek replies he understands but when? He advises the Board that he has experienced this and there is no guarantee when they will come back and fix it. Having ample bond enables the Town to hire another crew to repair any of the substandard restoration timely.

Overbeek goes on to advise that other Townships he has talked with are all tightening their ordinances as they are fed up with substandard restoration on these road projects. He opinions that someone from our Township will have to work hand in hand with the project installation crew and we have a $50 per hour charge for this. The need for an insurance bond is important because sink holes can occur 3 to 5 years down the road as a result of the project.

Karbash asks how large of an insurance bond may be necessary.

McManaway suggests that we already have a $15,000 cash bond, and that perhaps an additional $135,000 insurance bond totaling $150,000 may be adequate. He further advises the Board that we should avoid trying to use this session to create a new ordinance but rather focus on the project itself.

Motion by Overbeek to;

– Request from Charter a $150,000 insurance bond

– A Contract releasing the Township from liability for any damage incurred to Charter

Spectrum pedestals

– $50 per hour reimbursement from Charter for any Town representative’s time in working with or along-side of the project installation crew

– Charter providing Specific details on pedestal locations

– Pre-approval from the Town Roadman (McManaway) on where plowing and directional boring will be the installation method

– Cable installation that is a minimum of six feet from the edge of any road requiring pre-approval from Town roadman in rare instances where not feasible

Second by Wade, Passed unanimously.

Following Board discussion, the go forward plan is for Roadman McManaway to coordinate with Charter project manager (Brandon) within the next week.

Road Repair Projects

McManaway hands out a list of road repairs he believes should be the focus of the

Township in the spring/summer of 2024.

Karbash asks McManaway his opinion of the priority project and he references Chapel

Drive repair and he believes that this could be approximately $110,000.

Karbash reminds the Board that as we review the list, we should prioritize safety considerations for our residents. He then opinions that Island Road is one that comes to mind.

Following discussion of the various roads listed and the potential costs of these projects, Karbash asks if there is a motion to adjourn the meeting prior to departure by the Board to perform a road tour.

Motion by Wade to adjourn, second by Kraus, passed unanimously. Respectfully Submitted

Brian Hayes

Clerk, Town of Richmond